Thursday, July 23, 2009

The Bible's most "libertarian" passage?

A warning about the unintended consequences of giving up freedom to "solve a crisis":

I Samuel 8:10-18
So Samuel reported all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, ‘These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots; and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plough his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his courtiers. He will take one-tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and his courtiers. He will take your male and female slaves, and the best of your cattle and donkeys, and put them to his work. He will take one-tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves; but the Lord will not answer you in that day.’

2 comments:

Jeffersonian said...

Wow, just a tenth plundered and they're slaves? I'd take that deal in a New York minute!

Allen Lewis said...

Wow! In which we see that elections, indeed, have consequences!

The O-man is certainly behaving as Samuel described....

Cheers!

Allen